During her August 19 visit to Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), Sen. Tammy Baldwin toured the littoral combat ship production site and met with industry leaders, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Littoral Ship Systems Joe North, and Marinette Marine President and CEO Jan Allman. Led by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the Freedom-class littoral combat ships provide advanced capabilities to the U.S. Navy. There are currently five ships under construction. Pictured L-R: Marinette Marine Corporation President and CEO Jan Allman; Sen. Tammy Baldwin; Lockheed Martin Vice President of Littoral Ship Systems Joe North. Photo courtesy Marinette Marine Corporation.

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), a staunch supporter of the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), visited the Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) shipyard to meet with industry leadership and reporters to discuss the importance of the program to the local economy and national security.

“I will continue to fight for the LCS program because it employs thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites and helps meet our national security needs,” said Senator Baldwin.

During her visit, the Senator demonstrated a true appreciation of the importance of the LCS program not only to national security, but to the local economy.

"Our industry team appreciates the incredible support Senator Baldwin has shown for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program,” said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships & Systems at Lockheed Martin. “She's worked tirelessly with her colleagues on Capitol Hill to gain their backing, and we look forward to continuing to deliver these critical national security assets to the U.S. Navy.”

The shipyard’s new president and CEO Jan Allman says she is grateful for the Senator’s support, and looks forward to continuing to build the Freedom-class LCS, emphasizing its impact on the local economy.

"Senator Baldwin has been a tremendous supporter of the Littoral Combat Ship program which is vital to the Marinette Marine Corporation and community of Marinette, Wisconsin, where we build the ships. On behalf of the talented, hard-working employees of Marinette Marine, we are grateful for her commitment to our local economy and national security."

There are currently five ships under construction at the MMC shipyard, with LCS 7 (Detroit) launching this fall and LCS 15 (Billings) slated to begin later this year. LCS 17 (future USS Indianapolis) and LCS 19 (yet to be named) were awarded by the U.S. Navy in March 2014.